Things I Make That I Don't Even Like

I really want to like pickles. I mean, it's a classic All-American food, right?

For the record, I do not like mustard or ketchup all that much either.

Not a fan of the condiments.

But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy making pickles. Easy Refrigerator Pickles 10-12 small pickling cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise 1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 2 sprigs fresh dill 1 teaspoon peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 jalapeno, seeded (optional)

#refrigeratorpickles Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, and peppercorns to a low boil.  Remove from heat.  Pour into a jar.  Place pickles, dill, and jalapeno in mixture as well.  Seal and refrigerate overnight.

How many calories in the entire jar?  About 50.  Knock yourself out.  Just don't expect me to have any.

We're having some weather up here

Ooooh guess what happened this week?

It snowed, baby!

"Now Annika, get used to this icy cold winter business."

A HUGE perk of now being a stay at home mom is dodging every awful commute that results from the slightest bit of winter weather.

Another perk of being a stay at home mom is of course having (in theory) infinity hours to prep and make dinner. Buuuut somehow I don't have infinity hours. Especially for making lasagna, which is by far one of my favorite foods.

Another problem I have with lasagna, apart from the prep time and bake time, is that I. can't. eat. a. normal. sized. piece. It's SO GOOD that I end up going for seconds. And then I finish one kid's plate. And then the other kid's plate. And I could go on.

I happened to have some leftover egg roll wrappers and decided to try out lasagna cups this week, or at least that's what I'm calling these- lasagna cups! Individual sized "lasagnas" that help you keep the portions in check. They also cook WAY faster than traditional lasagna, and storing leftovers is so easy. Let's check it out, hmm?

Lasagna Cups -1 lb mild Italian ground sausage -1 24 oz jar marinara sauce -1 teaspoon Italian seasoning -15 oz part skim ricotta cheese -1 egg -1 bag frozen spinach, microwaved according to package directions, with excess water squeezed out -1/2 teaspoon garlic powder -18 egg roll wrappers -1 1/2 cups shredded Italian or mozzarella cheese

#lasagnacups

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While oven heats, saute the sausage in a skillet. When cooked, remove from heat and soak up any liquid fat with a paper towel. Stir in half the marinara and the Italian seasoning. Combine ricotta, drained spinach, egg, and garlic powder in a separate bowl.

Spritz a 12-cup muffin pan with canola or olive oil cooking spray. Line each muffin cup with one egg roll wrapper, letting the top edges hang over the top of the pan. Spoon about a heaping tablespoon of meat sauce into each egg roll wrapper. Top with a heaping tablespoon of spinach mixture. Top with shredded cheese, then fold over egg roll wrappers. No need to seal them- they stayed put pretty nicely for me.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until they're nice and golden brown and crisp on top. Serve with reserved marinara sauce for dipping.

These are cute and filling and totally satisfy my taste for lasagna. Each lasagna cup is about 250 calories, so two did the trick for me. Stick any leftovers in a freezer bag for later- just microwave to reheat.

Perfect comfort food for all the snowy days to come!